CDC Reminds People Not to Wash and Reuse Condoms, Because Some Are Actually Doing That

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Remember in high school health class, aka sex ed, when the teacher would try to make talking about condoms sound as normal as possible? If there were three things that were always stressed, they were: Always use a condom, don’t use two at a time, and don’t reuse one. Apparently, people didn’t process that last point, because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are sending a big reminder …

“We say it because people do it: Don’t wash or reuse #condoms! Use a fresh one for each #sex act,” said the tweet from the CDC STD.

The most horrifying part of this whole thing is that … people actually do this? Does the guy take the condom off and rinse it out with water? Do they use hand soap? Body soap? Windex? And what do they do with it after? Do they hang it up somewhere? Lay it inside their bedside desk drawer? So many questions and not enough answers.

If you need a refresher on proper condom usage, visit the CDC site. If you’re one of the people washing and reusing their condoms, stop it! Throw it away and use a new one each time. A 36-count of Trojan condoms costs about $14 (that's less than $0.40 a rubber), and that’s way cheaper than a baby. Channel all that cleaning energy into washing the dishes or something else instead.

Caitlyn FitzpatrickAssociate EditorSince 2017, Caitlyn has covered new and trending products as associate editor, and also runs the @bestproductsdotcom Instagram and makes memes; Her work has also appeared in POPSUGAR and InStyle, among others.